Community members gathered at Anniversary Plaza Thursday afternoon for the annual student memorial. The event, held annually on the last Thursday of September, honors University students who have died in the past year.
The students honored were Maisa Assata Abudayyah, Alan Chen, Gayathri Coimbatore Ramachandran, Sivakumar Mani, Sarah Niederkorn, Nate Passaro, Cooper Ramos and Sofia Reyes-Delgado.
The crowd included friends, family and spouses of the deceased. Several speakers delivered remarks during the service, including University Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs John Coleman.
“Each one of these students was a part of this community and each made a mark on the university,” Coleman said. “They helped shape their classes, their student organizations and all of the various communities that they were part of. They made a lasting impression on their professors and their friends.”
Gabi DalSanto, junior in ACES and president of Illinois Student Council, read the poem “We Remember” by Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer. Next to take the podium was Stephen Bryan, associate vice chancellor for student advocacy and dean of students.
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Bryan read the names of the eight students being honored to the crowd, who repeated “We remember” after each name.
The Illinois Varsity Men’s Glee Club, led by Barrington Coleman, professor in FAA, performed the Illinois Fight Song, and ISC Vice President Anjali Kumar, junior in LAS, read a poem by an unknown author.
“The Illinois Student Memorial is a reminder that we all are connected in some way,” said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Danita Brown Young in her speech. “The many stories that are shared absolutely help with our healing. It is a reminder that life is not permanent.”
The first memorial at the University was held in March 2019. Associate Dean of Students Ann Marie Morgan said the Connie Frank Care Center had been inspired by similar memorials at other Big Ten schools and decided to hold its own iteration.
“The families who have attended have expressed gratitude and have really appreciated the event,” Morgan told The Daily Illini. “That really has meant a lot that they found meaning, and perhaps some level of comfort, or really just appreciated the opportunity to return to the University to honor their student.”
